Collapsible lens shade

ABSTRACT

A collapsible lens shade comprises a foldable bellows connected between front and second plate-like members. A track member is pivotally connected to one of the front and rear plate-like members, preferably the front member, and locking means is provided for locking the track in a position extending from the member to which it is pivotally connected. Slide means is coupled to the other of the front and rear members to permit same to slide along the length of the track member when the track member is in its extended, locked position, and second locking means is provided for locking the slide means at selected positions along the length of the track means. Replaceable adaptors are preferably provided to enable the lens shade to be used with lenses of various barrel diameters. Also, means for inserting filters or other special effect plates is provided, as well as a flash or accessory shoe.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to foldable or collapsible lens shades, and moreparticularly to a collapsible bellows-type lens shade which has a highdegree of versatility.

Various types of lens shades are widely known. Some of the known lensshades are fixed in length. Others are adjustable in length, such as bymeans of a bellows. However, the known adjustable length lens shadesknown to Applicants do not collapse to a relatively small size and aretherefore bulky to use and to transport about. Also, the known lensshades are of limited versatility.

An object of the present invention is to provide a highly versatilecollapsible lens shade which is adjustable for a plurality of differentfocal length lenses, and which collapses and folds to an extremelycompact shape for easy storage and transportability.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a lensshade which further has means for accepting filters or special effectplates, a flash or accessory shoe, and means for securely locking thelens shade at any of its selected length positions.

Various other objects and features of the invention will become moreapparent from the following description of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a collapsible lens shadecomprises front and rear members, and a foldable bellows connectedbetween the front and rear members. An elongated track member ispivotally connected to one of the front and rear members, preferably thefront member and a first locking means is provided for locking the trackmember in a position extending from said one of said front and rearmembers. Slide means is coupled to the other of said front and rearmembers, preferably to the rear member, and is slidable along the lengthof said track member when said track member is in its extended, lockedposition to vary the position of said other of said front and rearmembers along said track member. A second locking means is furtherprovided for locking the slide means at selected positions along thelength of the track member to thereby lock the other of the front andrear members relative to the track member.

In a preferred embodiment, the second locking means comprises africtional locking means having an eccentric camming surface which bearsagainst the track member, and the first locking means comprises a slidemember which is slidable relative to the track member for engaging anengagement member which is attached to the one of the front and rearmembers to which the track member is pivotally connected.

Still further, in a preferred embodiment, means is provided foraccepting filters and/or special effect plates in front of the lens towhich the lens shade is connected, and removable adaptor elements areprovided to permit the lens shade to be connected to lenses of variousbarrel diameters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible lens shade according tothe present invention in its extended condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lens shade of FIG. 1 with thebellows in a collapsed condition, but the track extended;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lens shade of FIGS. 1 and 2 withboth the bellows and track collapsed;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the lens shade, in its extended condition,illustrating the operation of the lock for the foldable track;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the lens shade;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the lens shade showing how an adaptor isinstalled;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the lens shade, in its extended condition;

FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view of the engagement mechanism forretaining filters, or the like, in the front portion of the lens shade;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the front member of the lens shade; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a modification to the adapter mount.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the collapsible lens shade of the presentinvention comprises a foldable bellows 1 secured at the front or widestportion thereof to a front member 2 and secured at the rear portionthereof to a rear member 3. A first track member 4 extends from thebottom portion of front member 2 and a second track member 5 ispivotally connected to the first track member 4 by means of, forexample, pins 6. The second track member 5 is foldable relative to thefirst track member 4. The foldable track member 5 further has a slide 7slidably mounted thereon by means of projection member 8 which haveheads which exceed the width of the slot 9 in the foldable member 5. Theprojecting members 8 may be screws, or the like. The slide member 7 isslidable relative to the foldable track member 5 in the direction of thearrow 10 shown in FIG. 2. The first or stationary track member 4 has anengagement member 11, the head of which (which is seen in FIGS. 1-3)forms an extending flange 11' around a base portion 11", the baseportion 11" of engaging member 11 being shown in dashed lines in FIG. 4.In FIG. 1, the slide member 7 is engaged under the flanged portion 11'of the engaging member 11, thereby locking the slide member 5 at itsoperative or open condition whereby it is in alignment with thestationary track member 4. As shown in FIG. 4, a nut member 40threadably engaged to a post 41 (i.e., screw) extending from the bottomof the track member 5 and extending through slot 9 in slide member 7,may optionally be provided to serve as a lock for the slide member 7.When nut 40 is tightened on the threaded post 41 to bear against theslide member 7, thereby locking it in that position.

The rear plate-like member 3 of the lens shade has a slide device 12either connected thereto or made integrally therewith, which slidedevice 12 slides along the track members 4 and 5. The device 12comprises two generally L-shaped portions and slides along the sides anda portion of the bottom of track members 4 and 5. The lower surface 13of rear plate-like member 3 slidingly engages the upper surface of trackmembers 4 and 5, as shown in more detail in FIG. 5. The track members 4and 5 optionally have an elongated guide 42 thereon which engages acut-out 43 in the rear member 3, as best seen in FIG. 5.

A locking device 14 is pivotally mounted to the rear plate-like member3, the locking device 14 having an eccentric camming surface 15 (moreclearly seen in FIG. 5) and a step-like stop surface 16. The lockingdevice 14 rotates about a pivot member 17, which may be a screw, pin, orother projection. When the bellows are extended, for example to theposition shown in FIG. 1 or any intermediate or fully extended position,the locking device may be turned clockwise about its pivot point 17whereby the eccentric camming surface 15 bears against the upper surfaceof the track member 5, thereby frictionally locking the rear plate-likemember 3 relative to the track member 5. The step-like stop portion 16prevents excess turning of the lock member 14, thereby reducing thepossibility of damage. The lock member 14 may be mounted to the slidedevice 12 instead of directly to the rear member 3.

In order to collapse the lens shade of the present invention, the lockmember 14 is first released by turning same counterclockwise about pivot17, the rear plate-like member 3 is then pushed toward the front member2 in order to cause the bellows 1 to collapse and the slide member 12 toslide along track members 5 and 4 until it reaches the position shown inFIG. 2. The slide member 7 is then pulled to the left (referring toFIG. 1) so as to disengage the front notched portion 18 thereof from theengaging member 11 which extends rearwardly on front member 2. Theposition whereby the slide member 7 is released from the engaging member11 is shown in FIG. 2. Then, the second track member 5 is pivoted aboutits pivot pins 6 to the position shown in FIG. 3, thereby fullycollapsing the lens shade.

The lens shade is secured to a camera, or the like, by means of anadaptor element 20 shown in the top view of FIG. 6. The adaptor elementhas screw threads 21 on the outer periphery thereof which are adapted tobe screwed to a lens barrel, or the like. The adaptor further has aflange portion 22 extending peripherally therefrom which is securedunder threaded nuts 23 which are threaded onto screw posts 24 whichextend rearwardly from the rear plate-like member 3 of the lens shade.The front-most portion 25 of the adaptor 20 is a locating portion and isdimensioned to snugly fit within the opening 26 of the rear plate-likemember 3. After the nut members 23 are screwed tightly over the flange22 of the adaptor 20, the resulting structure looks as seen in the sideview of FIG. 7.

As seen in FIGS. 5-7, the front member 2 has a flash or accessory shoe45 on the top portion thereof. This increases the versatility of thelens shade of the present invention. The flash or accessory shoe 45 ispreferably integral with the front plate-like member 2 for increasedstrength.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second track member 5 has a scale 27 on the sidesurface thereof which indicates from 1-10 to correspond with differentfocal length via a conversion label. Focal length scales on the side ofthe side track 5 are important since this will enable the user todetermine critical positions of the lens shade for different focallength lenses in order to prevent vignetting. In operation, for examplethe right-most surface 28 of the slide member 12 could serve as anindicator along the focal length scale 27, whereby the degree ofextension of the bellows can be set in accordance with the focal lengthof the lens being used in order to prevent vignetting.

The front plate-like member 2 has angled members 30, 31 secured theretoto define a channel 32 for receiving special effect plates or sheets,filters, or the like in front of the lens shade so as to cover the frontopening 33 (FIG. 9) of the lens shade. In use, a filter or specialeffect sheet is inserted into the channel 32 over the front opening 33of the front member 2. The front member 2 is of a stepped configuration,as seen better in FIGS. 7 and 9, the lower step portion 34 serving as astop for the inserted filter or special effects plate.

As seen in FIG. 8, a spring-type locking arrangement is located in thechannel 32 which comprises a leaf spring 35 biased toward the member 31to grip a filter or special effects plate inserted between the spring 35and member 31. The tension spring lock 35 is effective to hold plates orfilters either fully or partly in the slot 35 so as to achieve specialeffects, if desired. A similar spring member 35 is provided on the otherside of the front member 2, for example in conjunction with the L-shapedmember 30.

A filter slot 36 is provided in the rear member 3 for insertion of otherfilters or special effect plates in the rear portion of the lens shade.Thus, two different filters and/or special effects plates can be used inthe lens shade of the present invention. A spring tension locking devicefor filters or special effects plates can be provided in the rear slot36, similar to the locking device shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 illustrates a modification to the adaptor 20 and the rearplate-like member 3 whereby the adaptor 20 is removably secured to therear plate-like member 3 in a different manner from that shown in FIGS.6 and 7. Referring specifically to FIG. 10, the adaptor 20 is firstmounted under a generally L-shaped mounting member 46 which extends fromthe plate-like rear member 3. The leading edge of the mounting member 46is bevelled at 47 so as to facilitate inserting the flange 22 of theadaptor under the mounting member 46. Similarly, the rearward-mostsurface of the peripheral portion of flange 22 of the adaptor 20 has abevel 48 thereon for facilitating placing the adaptor 20 under themounting member 46. After the adaptor 20 is located under member 46, theadaptor member is locked in place by means of knob 23 which threadablyengages post 24. By simply moving in an inward direction over the flangeof the adapter and holding the adapter in place, the knob and screw ispassed through a hole in the plastic raised on piece 3 and has a nylontip on the end of the screw so as to not score the adapter.

Most of the elements used in the collapsible lens shade of the presentinvention can be fabricated by molding techniques from strong plastics,such as polycarbonates. For example, the rear plate-like member 3 may befabricated from one molding, or as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 10, from 1moldings 49 and 1 stamping 50. The screws 24 may secure the two pieces49 and 50 together and if desired, to the bellows 1. When thearrangement of FIG. 10 is used, the mounting member 46 may be fabricatedintegrally in a single molding with element 49. The adaptor 20 ispreferably of a metallic material, but also could be made from plasticmaterial.

The track members 4 and 5 are also preferably of plastic, as is theslide members 12. Track member 4 is further preferably molded integrallywith the front plate-like member 2 of plastic material, such as apolycarbonate. The engagement member 11 is likewise preferablyintegrally formed with the front plate-like member 2. In such aconstruction, reinforcing members are also integrally molded into thefront plate-like member to improve structural strength. Preferably, theflash or accessory shoe member 45 is likewise integrally formed with thefront plate-like member 2. The slide locking device 14 may be formed ofplastic material, such as polycarbonate, or of metal.

While the invention has been described with respect to the track members4 and 5 being mounted to the front plate-like member 2, it should beclear that these members could be similarly mounted to a rear plate-likemember 3 and that the front member could slide along the track in amanner similar to that in which rear plate-like member 3 slides alongthe track in the illustrated embodiment. In such a modifiedconstruction, the rear member 3 would be enlarged relative to that shownin the present drawings, and the front member 2 would have a reducedarea or a cut-out portion to permit same to slide along a track similarto tracks 4 and 5 to collapse the bellows and to slide rearwardly towardthe rear member 3.

It should be clear that various other modifications and alterationscould be made to the present invention concept, such as modification ofsize and shape of various elements, types of materials used, etc.,within the scope and spirit of the present invention as set forth in theappended claims.

We claim:
 1. A collapsible, adjustable lens shade external to a lens ofa camera and for attachment to the front of said lens, comprising:afront member (2); a rear member (3); adapter means (20) coupled to saidrear member (3) for securing said rear member (3) to the front of alens; a foldable shade means (1) connected between said front member (2)and said rear member (3); an elongated track means (4, 5) including afirst track member (4) connected to and extending from said front member(2); and an elongated second track member (5) pivotally connected at oneend to said first track member (14); first locking means (7, 11) forlocking said second track member (5) in a position extending from andaligned with said first track member (4); slide means (12) coupled tosaid rear member (3) and being slidingly engaged with said track meansso as to be slideable along the length of said track means when saidsecond track member is in its extended, aligned, locked position, tovary the position of said rear member (3) along the length of said trackmeans, thereby varying the effective length of said foldable shademeans; and second locking means for locking said slide means (12) atselected positions along the length of said track means to thereby locksaid rear member (3) relative to said track means.
 2. The collapsiblelens shade of claim 1, wherein said second lock means comprises afriction lock.
 3. The collapsible lens shade of claim 2, wherein saidfriction lock comprises a member having an eccentric camming surfaceadapted to frictionally bear against said second track member (5). 4.The collapsible lens shade of claim 1, wherein said first track member(4) is fixedly connected to said front member (2).
 5. The collapsiblelens shade of claim 4, wherein said first track member (4) has a lengthsufficient to accommodate the foldable shade means (1) in its foldedstate within the length thereof.
 6. The collapsible lens shade of claim5, wherein said slide means (12) is accommodated completely on saidfirst track member (4) when said foldable shade means is in its foldedstate.
 7. The collapsible lens shade of claim 1, wherein said firsttrack member (4) is fixedly connected to said front member, and saidsecond track member (5) is pivotally connected to the end of said firsttrack member which is most remote from said front member.
 8. Thecollapsible lens shade of claim 7, wherein said first track member (4)has a length sufficient to accommodate said slide means and saidfoldable shade means in its folded condition.
 9. The collapsible lensshade of claim 7, wherein said first locking means comprises slidablelocking means (7, 11) coupled to said track means (4, 5) for lockingsaid second track member (5) in a position whereby it is extended fromsaid first track member (4) and in alignment with said first trackmember and whereby said first and second track members extendsubstantially perpendicularly to said front member.
 10. The collapsiblelens shade of claim 9, wherein said slidable locking means comprises aslidable lock member (7) slidably mounted on said second track member(5), and a fixed engagement member mounted to at least one of said firsttrack member (4) and said front member for engaging said slidable lockmember (7).
 11. The collapsible lens shade of claim 10, wherein saidslidable lock member (7) has a notch herein and said fixed engagementmember (11) has means for engaging said notch.
 12. The collapsible lensshade of claim 10, wherein said first track member (4) is fixedlyconnected to said front member (2) and extends substantiallyperpendicular therefrom, and said second track member is pivotallyconnected to the free end of said first track member.
 13. Thecollapsible lens shade of claim 10, comprising means (40,41) for lockingsaid slideable lock member (7) relative to said second track member (5).14. The collapsible lens shade of claim 13, wherein said slideable lockmember (7) comprises an elongated slot (9) therein, and said means forlocking said slideable lock member (7) relative to said second trackmember (5) comprises a threaded member (41) extending from said secondtrack member and through said elongated slot (9), and a knob member (40)threadably engaging said threaded member (41) for locking said slideablelock member (7) against said second track member (5).
 15. Thecollapsible lens shade of claim 1, wherein said slide means comprisesmembers engaging the sides of said elongated track means for slidingtherealong.
 16. The collapsible lens shade of claim 15, wherein saidsecond locking means comprises a friction lock member (14) having aneccentric camming surface adapted to frictionally bear against saidtrack means.
 17. The collapsible lens shade of claim 16, wherein saidfriction lock member (14) is pivotally mounted to said rear member, saideccentric camming surface being adapted to bear upon a surface of saidtrack means when said friction lock member (14) is rotated, therebyfrictionally retaining said slide means and said rear member in a givenrelative position along the length of said track means.
 18. Thecollapsible lens shade of claim 16, wherein said eccentric cam (14)further comprises stop means (16) for limiting the movement thereofrelative to said track means.
 19. The collapsible lens shade of claim 1,wherein said rear member (3) comprises a removable adaptor (20), saidadaptor having threads for threadably engaging the front of a lens of acamera.
 20. The collapsible lens shade of claim 19, wherein said adaptorhas a flange (22) extending therefrom, and said rear member (3)comprises means (23,24) for engaging said flange.
 21. The collapsiblelens shade of claim 19, wherein said adaptor has a front locatingportion (25), and said rear member (3) has an opening (26) for snuglyreceiving said locating portion (25) therein.
 22. The collapsible lensshade of claim 1, wherein at least one of said front and rear membercomprises channel means for receiving a filter, special effects plate,or the like therein, such that said filter or special effects plateextends substantially perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of saidfoldable shade means.
 23. The collapsible lens shade of claim 22,wherein said at least one channel forming means comprises locking meansfor locking said filter, special effects plate, or the like in saidchannel, at least partially or fully within said channel.
 24. Thecollapsible lens shade of claim 23, wherein said filter locking meanscomprises a spring adapted to bear against a filter, special effectsplate, or the like.
 25. The collapsible lens shade of claim 23, whereinsaid front member comprises said at least one channel and locking means.26. The collapsible lens shade of claim 25, wherein said filter lockingmeans comprises a leaf spring adapted to bear against a filter, specialeffects plate, or the like.
 27. The collapsible lens shade of claim 1,further comprising accessory shoe means (45) on at least one of saidfront and rear members.
 28. The collapsible lens shade of claim 27,wherein said accessory shoe means is on said front member.
 29. Thecollapsible lens shade of claim 1, wherein said track means comprises ascale thereon for setting the length of said foldable shade means at apredetermined value.
 30. The collapsible lens shade of claim 29, whereinsaid scale (27) on said track means is a numbered scale, whereby thelength of said bellows can be set in accordance with the focal length ofthe lens with which said lens shade is used. In conjuction with aconversion scale.
 31. The collapsible lens shade of claim 30, whereinsaid slide means (12) has means (28) cooperating with said scale (27) toserve as an indicator along said scale (27).
 32. The collapsible lensshade of any one of claims 1, 5, 6, 8, 22 or 29, wherein said foldableshade means comprises a foldable bellows.